Duke Nukem Forever

This is taking forever. Time to stop pissing around and get this big guy back into action.

How is the leaked, unfinished build from 2001 WAY more enjoyable than this?

At the time this game came out it was judged by the contemporary standard of gaming.

Now that we have seen where games have gone, this is nothing but a breath of fresh air and nostalgia for times long gone.

HAIL TO THE KING!!!!

There was a time, long ago, when Duke Nukem Forever was a myth. A legend. The holy grail of delayed games. It was the thing that made you scoff when someone said, "Half-Life 3 is never coming out." Because this game proved that, against all odds, a game could escape development hell after more than a decade. And I, like many others, believed.

I followed every update, every engine swap, every "we're still working on it" with the blind faith of someone who really wanted it to happen. I wanted to believe. But when it finally arrived… well, imagine dusting off a relic from the past, only to realise it’s not as shiny as it once was.

Booting up Duke Nukem Forever was like opening a time capsule from 1998, only to realise everything inside had been left to rot. The first few minutes lulled me into a false sense of security. The music was there. The ego bar instead of a health bar—sure, fine, very Duke. But then the cracks began to show. Movement felt sluggish. A two-weapon limit? Really? Duke was supposed to be the ultimate badass, not some Call of Duty grunt. But I pressed on.

Then it hit me—the humour. Duke Nukem 3D made Duke feel like a loveable rogue. He was a walking 90s action hero parody, a mix of every Schwarzenegger and Stallone character turned up to 11. But here? Here, he felt… off. Less charming rogue, more the kind of guy who gets banned from bars for saying weird things to the waitress. The jokes didn’t just fall flat; they slammed into the floor and burst into flames. I cringed. I winced. I questioned my life choices.

But the real tragedy? Somewhere, buried under the awkward dialogue and weird pacing, there was a Duke Nukem game in here. Some of the levels actually felt like classic Duke—big, sprawling spaces with hidden secrets, fun environmental destruction, and silly over-the-top action. There were moments where I could see the game it might have been if it had actually come out in the early 2000s. But instead, we got a game that was, at best, a relic and, at worst, a cautionary tale about what happens when you keep resurrecting something that probably should’ve stayed dead.

Would I recommend it? Well, if you’re a gaming historian or just morbidly curious, then sure—grab it in a sale for a couple of quid. Play it as an interactive museum exhibit. But if you’re expecting a triumphant return of Duke Nukem, you’re better off replaying Duke Nukem 3D and pretending Forever never happened. Because in the end, it turns out some things shouldn’t last forever.

This game is like meeting an old friend from high school who never moved on from 1997. At first, it’s nostalgic and fun – the one-liners, the testosterone-fueled absurdity, the over-the-top action. But then you realize he’s telling the same jokes he did years ago and thinks flip phones are cutting-edge. If you embrace the chaos and lower your expectations, you might just have a dumb, weirdly entertaining time.

You know the memes. You remember the bad reviews. As someone who loved Duke Nukem 3D, here's my 2 cents.

Its a rushjob. The game has segments that should have been tested further before being released. The monster truck segment for example is easily the worst part if you don't enable V-Sync by default. There's also the fact that the game was trying to chase relevancy. First by imitating Halo (2 gun weapon system), as well as Half-Life (The early parts pre-disaster). There's also the fact that the game is much more linear in comparison with the predecessor where you're encouraged to explore levels and get creative with eliminating your foes. As here, you fight in an arena and have to survive within the box and the driving segments.

But does it stand on its own as a game? It does. The story is fun, the interactions are entertaining and you're in for a solid adventure at the very least. Is it a worthy sequel to 3D? Its an acceptable sequel. Its no Doom 2016 but its not as horrible as the reviews paint it as. Just disappointing if you're expecting Duke Nukem 3D updated.

Treat it as its own game and Duke will at least take you for one last ride.

This game isn't as bad as what most people say it is. I think due to it being in development hell for so many years, people expected more. I think this is a decent successor to Duke Nukem 3D.

Most of the jokes land, it pays homage to the older games in the series, and it is pretty fun over all. It is a bummer that they went with a more linear approach rather than using open levels similar to Duke Nukem 3D but it works.

I did run into a few bugs that kept me from progressing, however I was able to fix this by, no shit, turning on V-Sync. You heard that right... this is the one game where I would recommend turning V-Sync on.

Hail to the king, baby!

its a Classic i always loved Duke Nukem!!!!
On the other hand, The Sound just (All of a sudden STOP PLAYING)..

If it wasnt for the sound issues id be just fine

Threw poo
drew a penis on a whiteboard
drew a penis in a kids book
killed an alien with 3 big titties
then passed out and had a dream in a stripclub
had multiple fun combat experiences

amazing game

BUY NOW

Ignore the positive reviews. I went into this as a millennial fan of the 90's games and was cautiously optimistic after reading tons of reviews that were either lukewarm or downright glowing. Nope, it really is that bad. Not worth it even on sale. Also, it's so poorly optimized that it crashes my high-end gaming rig every time I try to play, which REALLY takes some doing.

Completed in 9 hrs.
Besides some horrible corridors and abuse of the duke vision, this is a great shooter.
/
Lo complete en 9 horas
Aparte de secciones horribles y abuso de la visión de Duke, es un gran shooter.

The game says that it is verified for the Steam Deck yet everytime I get to the part where I take the picture of the kid on Duke's throne, the game glitches out and crashes on me with an error message. Over and Over again. It's a shame because I won't tolerate this nonsense. Not only did I purchase a Steam Deck and the games but now I have to be concerned with if they actually work like Steam promises. No Thanks. Not going to play that game. I can't trust Steam now and I refuse to buy another game and that happens again. Too bad Steam... I'm officially done as a customer. This is the last dollar you will get out of me. GOG is officially much better than this platform. Every game I've purchased on that site works as promised. Never had a single issue.

The main reason I can't recommend this game, is its price.
I would only consider it worth it at 5$ or less.
There are so many games that are better and cheaper.
If you do decide to play this, make sure you turn:
1. post processing off - so the game isn't blurry.
2. vsync on - so you can make the otherwise impossible car jump.

It's a puzzle and platforming game with some shooter and driving elements. It's alright I guess.

this game is so good highly recomned

I didn't know how good I had compared with the 2011 release and now. I miss times when this was an average/bad game. Everything that is missing from the games these days; the “Toxic” muscularity, dad jokes and lovely looking “jags” on girls not bitten with “ugly sticks”

playing this in 2025, being a huge dn3d fan... this game is great. loads of tiny minigames that are good. the vibe.. duke is proud. i remember waiting for this game so many years and then hearing its shit. its not. its fucking great. modern doom is the best similarity. 10/10 recommended even so many years after release.

I don't remember this game being so bad and very cringe, just play DN3D

I remember playing Duke Nukem 1 & 2 when I was a kid on my Dad's old 386. Fun platformers. When Duke Nukem 3D came out me and Dad were blown away, loved it, countless spent hours spent playing it.
When this actually got released I thought I'd give it a go, then I read the reviews and thought maybe not.
Picked it up recently for £3 and thought lets give it a go. I am very glad I didn't pay more than £3 for it. It just feels clunky and unpolished. I was so bored for the first 4/5 "levels" or whatever they are. They feel like loading areas for consoles? The decision to not provide a gun immediately, then forced car driving / shrunk so can't fight bits are a bizarre choice - this is not what I wanted from this game.
After 90 minutes I realised I just wasn't enjoying the gameplay and gave up.
Anyone thinking about trying it, get it 90% off only, otherwise don't bother.

I used to play "Duke Nukem" back in the 90's including "Duke Nukem 3D" when it came out and it had it's own uniqueness back then with the FPS genre kicking off.
This version has kept the "Duke Nukem" vibe alive.
I like it, it's fun.

Decent enough fun, Functional multiplayer, Worth a buy, The DLC is written better then the main story since it was stuck in development hell for so long, But this is a great game to just turn your brain off and have some fun, Just like a Cheesy action movie from the 80's and 90s.

too sexual. Take it easy there. not a fan. gameplay wasnt the best too. hated the sound effects. I'm not woke or anything, but even I found this tasteless

Bring. Back. THE DUKE!!!

Great Value brand Half-Life written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone from an alternate universe where they got in a freak jet ski accident together and suffered debilitating head trauma.

4/10

A turd in the hand is worth two in the bush.

TITS

this is a terrible port of an already mid game. if you really want to play it id recommend you get it on the xbox one. 2/10

It was NEVER going to live up to 14 years of development but as it's own it's fine.

Killin makes my dick hard!!!

Always bet on Duke

Pure fun! The king never gets old.

the best video game ever made

Слабая игра. Пародия на пародию. Впрочем, оригинальный Дюк, будучи выпущенным в 2012, вполне мог смотреться именно так. Доиграл с мучениями.

decennnnttt

one of the best games ive ever played.

The comedy is there but the combat is very basic and the story is largely uninteresting

I don't understand the hate that this game got when it was first released.

I played and finished it for the first time in 2024 and it was actually pretty decent! Graphics are decent for the time, gameplay is not too bad. (its actually a bit similar to Half Life 2 in a sense)

Very refreshing if you're sick of the politically correct world that we live in now.

It's...ok. More nostalgic than anything. Everything gets boring and tedious quickly. The areas feel small and claustrophobic.
It's just...meh.

Recommended

I hate to say it but we really, really do need a modern remake of duke nukem forever, all the ingredients of what people want in an absurd hypermasculine protagnost are all there!

I beat this game when it came out in 2012. This game gets a bad rap because it was in development hell for a decade and a half. Duke Nukem Forever isn't terrible, but at the same time, it offers nothing of great note. Duke Nukem Forever is a perfect example of a game falling short of unrealistic expectations. I would have preferred to play the unfinished game from 2001, before 2K got their hands on it. That game looked more interesting from the trailers alone.

The saddest part about Duke Nukem Forever isn't its gameplay, or graphics. It's the fact that it is boring overall. It is just an average FPS that was quickly forgotten to time. Duke deserves better than what he got in this outing. Maybe in another 15 years, we'll get another installment.

This game is always on sale. If you're going to pick it up, just wait for a sale. 2K seems to have sales quite frequently. There is no sense in paying full price for a game over a decade old.

Classic

They Nuked the Duke. After slugging through all the Serious Sam franchise. I wanted to check on how bad Duke Nukem was because of how much Serious Sam pokes fun saying its better than him. Let me tell you. I had more fun with this game that was stuck in development hell for 12 years vs the entire Serious Sam games. Playing this game in 2023 it really just feels like a satarie of the whole FPS genre. Honestly I see where there were going with this game. The down fall of an 80's American hero failing to stay relavate in modern times and for Duke to laugh of his false persona he puts on. Truly deep. I Don't they intend that since it was just about Las Vegas , money , sex and drugs, but thats what I saw. In the end. The creators had an idea and honestly the 2001 blue prints of the game looked better than the final results so it is shame it never came out. So they Nuked Duke in the end with a Nuke to keep sealed away forever... well until he walked it off and runs for president. Duke for President 2028. 5/10

Let me tell you something. If someone on the street asked me "What is your most disappointing game of all time?" It would be this game. Your probably wondering why? Duke Nukem is a horrible character, why would you be this disappointed in something like this? Well, to understand why, you would have to go back to the mid 90s.

After the PC release of Duke Nukem 3D, eventually console ports showed up (some in different names or even different looking games in general):
Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown (PS1)
Duke Nukem 64 (N64)
Duke Nukem 3D (Sega Saturn)
Duke Nukem 3D (Mega Drive in Brazil only, plays more like Wolfenstein 3D)
Duke Nukem 3D (Game.com, seriously? who owned this stupid thing?)

So when somebody told me about the game in elementary school (yes I was NOT the right age to play this game but my parents didn't care just as long as there wasn't explicit sex scenes.), I wanted to play it. However, I didn't have a MS-DOS or Win95 PC back then, so I had to (eventually in 1998) resort to the PS1 version. It was a good title, despite the controls not being the greatest (looking up and down was strange, but you would get used to it). Then the "Age of Duke" came around with spin off games:
Duke Nukem: Time to Kill (PS1)
Duke Nukem: Zero Hour (N64)
Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes (PS1)
Duke Nukem (GBC)
Duke Nukem Advance
Duke Nukem: Manhatten Project
This is when I really liked the character. A universe that basically revolved around this character where his known and beloved by many. So I have played a handful of these games, some were fun but not aged well and some were just bad (I'm looking at you Land of the Babes).

Then when I heard news about DN Forever, I was excited. Sadly, this came with a massive price. I heard that a GameCube version was (supposedly) in the works (remember I didn't own a gaming PC at this time) and I even saw a trailer in GameFAQs back in the day. So I got even more excited. Years passed by and the GC version was cancelled. Lovely (sarcasm). Jump to 2011, after years of bad jokes and puns, the game was FINALLY coming out. I (at the time) didn't even pay attention to how bad the graphics were in the trailer (I remember somebody telling me at work one day that the game looks bad). So when I got my Xbox 360 version of the Balls of Steel Edition after playing the Xbox Live Arcade version of Duke 3D (yes I didn't have the best PC to run this game at the time, but I bought it again years later), I put it into my 360, aaannnd noticed something..... this game is not what I was expecting after 14 years in development.

Okay so I am going to talk about my experiences with both the 360 version and the Steam version (since I replayed this pile of S*** again for reviewing). My time with the 360 was the first time, but I will be talking about the whole game in general.

So two things right off the bat that I noticed was the EGO Meter (similar to the Halo shielding system) and two weapon max system (wait what?!). By this time I was sick of the Military shooters that came out (COD games specifically), I wanted something old school and action packed. This isn't it. This game came out a few years after Wolfenstein (2009) and FEAR 2, and the same year as RAGE (a game that is way better and you should of been playing that year). Those games let you carry more weapons than Duke Nukem Forever. I hated this 2 weapon feature because you have very limited ammo in your weapon inventory (5 Rockets for RPGs, 64 bullets in your handgun (which is weak by the way), etc.) and for bosses, it's mandatory that you have explosive weapons in your inventory or you can't inflict damage on bosses period (what, do they have bullet-reflective armor or something?). That EGO meter is such a pain. If it depletes, you have to hide and wait for it to recharge. This is way easier said than done as enemies will gain up on you and kill you. It takes way too long to actually begin recharging. Also, you have to hunt down items for it to increase. These two features were clearly taken from other games so the game doesn't isolate itself from the COD fans. This was a huge mistake as it was not meant for a game like this. For the PC version, there was an update to have 4 weapons in your inventory (please use that if you are planning to play this game)

The story is basically Duke Nukem 3D but add some Half-Life 2 with it. A lot of using items, solving problems, driving, etc. The jokes are not that funny, the references are super dated (even when I got the vast majority of them), the characters are really bad (Dylan is annoying as hell). It just feels ripped from other media and not inspired

I wish I can explain the plot but, sadly, I can't fit the entire thing into a review. Overall, I feel that the game should of came out in 2001 because that version looked way better than this final product. George Broussard had too many ideas and should of used those ideas for sequels. No matter what, a game will always feel dated. If you used a heavily modifed version of an engine from 1998, it's going to be even worse. I should mention that there should of been a limit on how many times an engine switches should be allowed. Also, shame on Randy for over hyping this pile of crap. F this game. This game killed Duke. I never want Gearbox to make another game in the series again but who knows what will happen?

i think the game had like balls or something

Don't know the hate for this classic but i really recommend it! 10 of 10

TND (total nukem Dsweep)

Randy is Greasy
Down with Randy
This is not Duke Nukem, this is a shell of a man.

it gud